More and more Internet users are realizing the ease and convenience of buying and selling online by way of person-to-person online trading pioneered by eBay Inc., the assignee of the present invention. As a result, collectors, hobbyists, small dealers, unique item seekers, bargain hunters, and other consumers, are able to buy and sell millions of items at various online shopping sites.
The success of an online shopping site depends upon its ability to provide an enjoyable shopping experience and an easy-to-use environment in which buyers and sellers can conduct business efficiently. Current online shopping sites have certain limitations in the manner in which they present information to users. With reference to FIG. 1, a typical item listing will briefly be described. A textual list of items 105 representing the results of a user query is presented within a web page format 100 to the user (e.g., a prospective buyer) on his/her computer system. In this example, the web page format 100 presented to the prospective buyer includes items 110 that are currently available for sale on a particular page 170 within a particular category. Each item 110 includes a hypertext link 115 having a title (or brief description) of the item for sale, an indication 120 of whether or not an image of the item is available, the current minimum bid 130, the number of bids received 140, and an auction ending time 150. Based upon the item titles, prospective buyers can decide whether or not to view more detailed information on a particular item. In order to view detailed information on a particular item of interest, the buyer is required to select the hypertext link 115 associated with the item. A new page is then presented with more detailed information regarding the item selected. The more detailed information may include, among other things, the item's starting price, a username associated with the seller of the item, a username associated with the current high bidder, a detailed description of the item in text or HTML format, and an image the seller has associated with the item, for example.